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      11-08-2012, 09:53 PM   #1
jrich4411
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Where to purchase wheels

I plan on picking up a new set of wheels over the winter. I will be keeping my 18" tires as I can't afford to buy both wheels and tires, never mind the 18" vs 19" handling/ride debate. My question is where are the best places to look at purchasing wheels from taking into consideration both pricing and information availability? I've looked at Tire rack and they seem to have the most choices in 19" wheels and limited choices in 18" wheels. I've resigned myself to spending $400-$500 per wheel.
There are tons of threads here on what others have chosen for their rides, but little info on where they purchased those wheels from.
One final question - Silver or Chrome? My ///M is black on black. Black wheels to me is too much black.

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      11-08-2012, 10:59 PM   #2
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I've purchased wheels from **********s.com twice -- from cheapo replicas to $700/wheel Advans. Their service and prices are great.

Just say NO to chrome. For black cars, I like a shade somewhere between silver and black.
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      11-08-2012, 11:41 PM   #3
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What about Apex?

Their EC7 and ARC8 wheels come in silver, hyperblack, and anthracite. Any of those, especially the hyperblack or anthracite, would meet your requirements. Oh, btw, just say "no" to chrome.

They're considerably lighter than stock too, so there's less unsprung weight (better performance/handling), and they come in various sizes and fitments that work well with the Z4M. Lastly they're not 400 or 500 per wheel, they run around 300 dollars/wheel

We're running a set of 8.5 x 18 ET38 and 9.5 x 18 ET22 ARC8s on one car, and 9 x 18 ET42 (with small spacer) and 9.5 x 18 ET22 EC7s on the other. Both look great! Apex has great customer service and they're very helpful (obviously I'm a satisfied customer).

Last edited by Finnegan; 11-08-2012 at 11:48 PM..
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      11-08-2012, 11:49 PM   #4
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x2 on Apex. Great lightweight wheels at a reasonable price. Excellent customer service too.
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      11-09-2012, 11:38 AM   #5
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I guess I will just say no to chrome! Thanks for the info guys
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      11-09-2012, 01:58 PM   #6
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      11-09-2012, 06:18 PM   #7
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Yep, definitely keep Apex in mind, I love my EC-7's!
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      11-09-2012, 06:40 PM   #8
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      11-12-2012, 06:00 PM   #9
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Ok - next question. I've pretty much decided on the ARC-8s from Apex. Do I stick with stock wheel widths - 8.5" front & 9.5" rear - or do I step up to 9" front & 10" rear. I will be running stock tire sizes at least until my current tires are worn out. I do not track - but I do "occasionally" run a little spirited when the occasion presents itself (onramps, deserted back roads, etc).
If I do move up to wider wheels - 9" front offset 42 mm & 10" rear 25 mm offset - do I need to worry about spacers? and what size tires can I put on these wheels without worrying about rubbing?
I know a lot of you guys have already answered these issues on your own ///Ms.
Thanks!
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      11-12-2012, 06:03 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jrich4411 View Post
I do not track
That's what I said a little over a year ago. That was 2 track events ago
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      11-12-2012, 07:15 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jrich4411 View Post
Ok - next question. I've pretty much decided on the ARC-8s from Apex. Do I stick with stock wheel widths - 8.5" front & 9.5" rear - or do I step up to 9" front & 10" rear. I will be running stock tire sizes at least until my current tires are worn out. I do not track - but I do "occasionally" run a little spirited when the occasion presents itself (onramps, deserted back roads, etc).
If I do move up to wider wheels - 9" front offset 42 mm & 10" rear 25 mm offset - do I need to worry about spacers? and what size tires can I put on these wheels without worrying about rubbing?
I know a lot of you guys have already answered these issues on your own ///Ms.
Thanks!
I think the stock size is 8" front and 9" rear. Correct?
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      11-12-2012, 07:30 PM   #12
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I agree with aestheticstorm, that's what I think we all said at one time or another! 12 days and counting! Plan for the future with a large purchase like this (so you have flexibility).

Stock front is actually 8", and rear is 9". If you're sticking with the stock tire sizes for now you've got some constraints on the front max width rim (at least to stay within mfg. recommended tire sizes). I'll admit up front I'm not a fan of the stretched tire look, and if you performance drive at all, I'm really not a fan.

Front, you're looking at a max of 8.5" while sticking to the max recommended width rim for a 225/45 tire. With the 8.5" width, you can also run a 235/40 and a 245/40 no problem, and not run into issues with the rim being too narrow for the tire. A 8.5" ET38 will work, even with the 245/40 tire (well, at least with the PSS for sure), no spacer required.

Rear, you can go up to 10", with the stock sizes, while sticking to the max recommended width rim for for a 255/40 tire. You might be better off going with the 9.5" ET22 wheel. No spacer required with either, but with a 275/35 square shouldered tire on a 10" ET25 you may have to run a lot of negative camber, and/or do some fender rolling. But a PSS (round shoulder) on the 10" with stock suspension fits perfectly.

The 8.5" and 9.5" stagger looks good IMO, and it would work well now and for a lot of future combos while allowing you to use your stock rubber. Another alternative is to always save up and wait to get a wider set of wheels along with new tires.

You can see it on the Imola Red coupe here. The Imola car is running 245/40 and 275/35 tires on the 8.5" ET38 and 9.5" ET22 wheels.
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      11-12-2012, 08:44 PM   #13
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FWIW I like the "silver" or "chrome" look on black cars. There's another active post going here, with several pages, and one of the last pics is of a black Z4 (M?) with silver/chrome Apex wheels. I think it looks terrific. I like the contrast, the same way I like dark wheels on a white Z4.
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      11-12-2012, 09:19 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by strokeoluck View Post
FWIW I like the "silver" or "chrome" look on black cars. There's another active post going here, with several pages, and one of the last pics is of a black Z4 (M?) with silver/chrome Apex wheels. I think it looks terrific. I like the contrast, the same way I like dark wheels on a white Z4.
I think those look great too, it's all about the look you're after. By chrome, I think folks meant chrome in a 1950s chrome bumper kind of way. I'm not a fan of that chrome look for our cars. But silver, or the hyperblack? Great contrast, and looks good!
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      11-13-2012, 07:47 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Finnegan View Post
Stock front is actually 8", and rear is 9". If you're sticking with the stock tire sizes for now you've got some constraints on the front max width rim (at least to stay within mfg. recommended tire sizes). I'll admit up front I'm not a fan of the stretched tire look, and if you performance drive at all, I'm really not a fan.

Front, you're looking at a max of 8.5" while sticking to the max recommended width rim for a 225/45 tire. With the 8.5" width, you can also run a 235/40 and a 245/40 no problem, and not run into issues with the rim being too narrow for the tire. A 8.5" ET38 will work, even with the 245/40 tire (well, at least with the PSS for sure), no spacer required.
one thing I don't want to do is move to a lower profile tire. I use my ///M as my daily drive (almost 90k miles so far) and here in NH the roads absolutely SUCK. The local tire shop that does wheel straightening knows me by name - seriously. My existing rims have all been straightened twice in the 3 years I've owned the car and would be due for a third trip if I wasn't replacing them.

So, it appears that the 8.5" front & 9.5" rear is the way to go for me. I would think I could fit a 235/45 front and 265/40 rear without any additional mods.

Now - please educate me. All the wheel specs I have been reading about spec an "offset" and everyone here on this forum mentions "ET". What is the difference?
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      11-13-2012, 08:14 AM   #16
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Why would you go to a lower profile tire if you're concerned about wheel damage? Smaller wheels and a higher profile tire would be better. Some 17's will fit the Z4M.
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      11-13-2012, 10:47 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pokeybritches View Post
Why would you go to a lower profile tire if you're concerned about wheel damage? Smaller wheels and a higher profile tire would be better. Some 17's will fit the Z4M.
My point was exactly that - I wouldn't want a lower profile tire as Finnigan suggested because of the roads around here, just a little wider tire. If I ever did track the car then I would invest in a different set of wheels & tires for track day. Then I would of course need new coil overs & cam plates. Oh, add a strut brace, intake and exhaust.
I can't afford to track her!
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      11-13-2012, 12:43 PM   #18
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ET = Offset

If you have bad roads, then by all means stick with close to the same diameter tire as stock, or consider the 17" options in ARC-8s Pokey suggested. Of course, that would mean waiting (since your current tires won't work).

The EC-7s are also a bit tougher, and a pound or so heavier than the ARC-8s. If potholes are a problem, I seriously consider them.
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      11-13-2012, 02:03 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Finnegan View Post
If you have bad roads, then by all means stick with close to the same diameter tire as stock, or consider the 17" options in ARC-8s Pokey suggested.
The 17" also look great IMO, kind of a retro look. Check this thread.
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      11-13-2012, 02:20 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Finnegan View Post
ET = Offset

If you have bad roads, then by all means stick with close to the same diameter tire as stock, or consider the 17" options in ARC-8s Pokey suggested. Of course, that would mean waiting (since your current tires won't work).

The EC-7s are also a bit tougher, and a pound or so heavier than the ARC-8s. If potholes are a problem, I seriously consider them.
Thanks Finn. Waiting is not an option as my insurance company is putting up $1000 towards this purchase (another whole story). I will go back & look at the EC-7s again
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      11-13-2012, 03:15 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jrich4411 View Post
Now - please educate me. All the wheel specs I have been reading about spec an "offset" and everyone here on this forum mentions "ET". What is the difference?
"Wheels are usually stamped with their offset using the German prefix "ET", meaning "Einpresstiefe" or, literally, "press depth". An example would be "ET45" for a 45mm offset."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offset_%28wheel%29
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      11-13-2012, 04:16 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gferil View Post
Yep, definitely keep Apex in mind, I love my EC-7's!
Me too!
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